Amazon reportedly plans to roll out more Alexa-enabled hardware

The new lineup will also pit Amazon against other companies that make Alexa-powered devices.

CNBC, quoting an "internal document describing the plans", says that Amazon plans to release, among others, a microwave, an amplifier, a receiver, a subwoofer and an in-car gadget - all enabled with Amazon's artificial-intelligence-driven digital assistant, but only some with Alexa built-in. All of these products has Amazon's Alexa on some level and can act as a voice assistant.

But CNBC reports Monday that Amazon is now planning to release its own Alexa-powered microwave oven, of all things - just one of eight or more unannounced devices the company will apparently sell by the end of the year.

Google and Apple have so far dominated the smart vehicle stereo market, and although there are a number of Alexa-enabled smart auto stereos on the market, this is a missing link for Amazon in its the Alexa-everywhere strategy.

The release of the new devices also builds into Amazon's plans for making Alexa a quintessential part of a smart home setup. If CNBC's report is correct, it's clear that Amazon wants some of those products to be under its own umbrella even if that means expanding into new categories like kitchen appliances. The new devices will help realize Amazon's ambition of making Alexa ubiquitous in the customer's home and in their auto. Amazon is also stepping up partnerships with home installation companies and home builders. A few months ago, it partnered with home builder Lennar to include two Echo speakers in certain new homes and provide visits by Amazon technicians.

Amazon is also reported to be working on a secretive home robot.

"We want customers to be able to use Alexa wherever they are", Bezos said in a statement in July.

Speaking of the home appliance market, we should note this is not Amazon's first involvement with that market, not by a long shot. "There are now tens of thousands of developers across more than 150 countries building new devices using the Alexa Voice Service, and the number of Alexa-enabled devices has more than tripled in the past year".